The Hunters Slave
by Its a Happy Bunny Life
Summary: Harry's twin brother gets proclaimed as BWL and Harry gets send to orphanage where he is abducted by slave traders. After his first owner abuses him Regulus buys him and now harry helps him find horcruxes. Slash but NOT between Reggi and Harry
1. Prologue

Okay, I know that I'm already writing another story, but I've kind of lost the spark about it so here's another one to keep you company in the main while.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot bunny's

Summary: a year after Harry James's brother, Andrew James, has been proclaimed the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry gets send to an orphanage in the hopes that he will get adopted by a loving family with whom he doesn't have to be on the run from the Death Eaters. But just two days later several children from the orphanage gets abducted by wizarding slave traders Harry being one of them.

Prologue.

A little village outside Tokyo. Year: 1996. Three days before Christmas. 2:34 PM.

The snow was falling in heavy layers in front of the old Victorian-styled house making it even harder to leave. The tall dark hair male with water blue eyes and a few days old bristles, hugged his unconscious little ward a little closer under his long black leather coat like to protected him from the cold, before he took his first cautious step down from the front porch and into the knee high snow, shortly thanking all the gods for heating charms.

The wards hair was black too, but that was where the resemblance ended. Where the man was tall and muscular, the ward was small and only had a thin layer of muscles, where the man's hair only reached a little over the nap of his neck with a long fringe that kept getting in his eyes, the ward's hair was long enough to plait, in the man's right ear a silver trinket had been placed but the ward had never been allowed to pierce anything, instead a thick silver chain was placed around his neck and to it a little tag with the words: belongs to R.A.B, had been fastened. Actually the ward had turned sixteen, half a year ago and would have been considered an adult in the man's own country in half a year if he had been free. But to most he didn't look much older than fourteen, and the man knew it.

The man's name was Regulus Black and he had been on the run for little over eighteen years now. As a young wizard he had been encouraged by his parents to participate in a large society back in his home country, trying to bring the great Salazars wish to life and rid their world of all the unwanted muggleborns, it had soon attracted a lot of the more questionable characters in the wizarding-world, and it had rapidly proceeded from a purification quest to a club for sadists.

It was around that time that he overheard their leader tell his second in command about something called horcruxes. Basically it was when a person split its soul into little pieces and captured it in objects. And he had already made seven. That was then Regulus realized that the man had to be stopped. Salazar would never have wanted this and if he had he would have had to have been mad.

At first he had tried to just work undercover and slowly get the leader to tell him where he had hid them, and in the beginning it work. He soon found the first one in a cave and brought it back to his mother's house, but somehow the leader realized what had been done.

That night they had ransacked his mother's house, but he hadn't been there and when he returned it was to find his mother in a puddle of blood in the hallway. It was like something just clicked for him then and there, and the next thing he remembered was standing in front of an international floogate saying Italy and being swept away by the green flames.

For three years he had just drifted around the globe, drinking till he couldn't stand, shagging everyone that would let him. Then one day he had wakened to remember what he had been doing before the dead of his mother and already a few hours later he stepped back through the same floogate he had left through years earlier. It didn't take long to find out that the old leader had been defeated by a baby, but he knew that the man would return with the help of the soul-pieces if they didn't destroy them.

Five years later he still hadn't destroyed any of them, but he now knew where to find two. One was still at his mother's house and one had been given to the Malfoys to protect. He himself were starting to look more and more like a bum do to his obsession, which were disturbing his sleeping and eating habits, and he was slowly starting to feel lonely. That was why he decided to get a slave, a houseelf would keep an eye on his health but they weren't that good company and a dog would be good company but wouldn't care one bit about his health.

Walking around at the auction he was having his fair bit of trouble finding the right one. Most of them were too expensive for him and the one he could pay for where too old, too wild or too young, (and he really didn't want to start changing diapers). He was just about to leave the fence to the cheapest slaves, a very sad bunch, when he noticed a young boy, looking around five years old, sitting in the middle. Like all the others he was naked and it was clear from all his brushes and sickly thin build that he had been abused badly, his hair had been shaved off for some unknown reason making the lightning shaped scar on his forehead and his dull green eyes look gigantic while they were staring unseeingly at the ground, he was clutching a very dirty, stuffed, black toy-dog, that looked like it had had a leg ripped off and someone had tried to sew it back on without much luck, most likely the boy himself.

Two hours later he found himself leading the boy to his hotel room by his leash. He had clearly been trained good, always walking two steps behind him to his left. His papers had reviled that his name was Cato and that he actually had been seven for four days now. He unlocked the door and motioned for Cato to go in first. He was now wearing a pair of black trousers and a black t-shirt from the auction house, his toy-dog still clutched in his arms.

Moving to remove the leash, the boy flinched, moving a step away from him just out of reach. He looked sadly at the boy; this was going to take a while.

"I'm just going to remove the leash" He said softly, the boy immediately relaxing a little. He slowly moved to do as he had just said he would. Hanging the leash on the coat rack he motioned for Cato to take a seat on the bed while he sat down on the only chair in the small room.

He looked at the boy for a long time, taking in everything from the empty stare to the excessive grasp on the broken toy-dog. Now he had absolutely no idea why he bought him, he was most likely insane, had clearly been a pleasure slave and it would probably take a lot of work to teach him the basic stuff in a household, such as cocking, and even then he would have to win his affection if he wanted him for just the company. But he couldn't just leave him there, he wanted to help him, wanted to show him that not the whole world was made of evil.

"Who is your friend?" the boy flinched as he was dragged back from his own thoughts and turned his questioning eyes to him, clearly not having heard his question.

"Who is your friend?" He motioned to the toy-dog as to let him know what he was talking about.

The boy immediately grasped the dog closer to his chest his eyes turning scared.

"I'm not taking him from you, I'm just asking for his name." He made sure to use a soft, low tone with him as not to scare him even more and even then the boy was looking a bit confused, but just as he was about to give up and ask something else the boy answered.

"Pafoo." His voice was low and horse as if it hadn't been used for anything but screaming in weeks.

"Pafoo? That's a nice name. How did he get hurt?" something akin to astonishment was slowly replacing all the scared in his eyes.

"Old master tore him over." Now that he was putting words together he could hear the distinct German accent.

"Do you want me to fix him?" his eyes grew big as he started shaking his head negative. "You could hold him while I do it, it would only take a second." He looked like he was contemplating it for a moment, then, very slowly, he gave his consent.

With slow predictive motions, he cautiously removed his wand from the holster on his left arm and cast a reparo charm on the toy that was now being held out to him.

A look of happiness instantly spread across Cato's face as he hugged Pafoo whispering soothing words in German in its ear. Then he looked right at him with a shy smile.

"Thank you, master. Thank you very much."

Now, nine and a half years later, Cato was like a son to him. The boy had come a long way since the abuse from his first and only owner before Regulus and even though he still had nightmares when he slept alone and never left anywhere without Pafoo whom he had regular conversations with, he had still become a great hunter and was even the one to figure out from his many tales of his life as a Death Eater, that Nagini had to be a horcrux and hunted down and killed her when he was twelve. It was also on Cato's wish that they had started to hunt other evil objects, which was the reason why Regulus was now carrying him through the high snow in the front garden of an old Victorian house just outside of Tokyo.

The possessed doll had nearly choked his little ward, but now he was just unconscious, the doll however was gone forever. It sure had been a close call this time. Maybe it was time for an easy mission, one that wouldn't take too much out of Cato, one that would allow him to take out that cursed sword stationed in the Museum of London without endangering the boy. Yes, Cato would go collect the Slytherin's locket from his mother's house, while he made sure the sword never drove anyone insane again. As soon as Cato woke up, they would be off to London.


	2. An Easy Mission

Okay, so many times sorry for taking this long but in the last moths I've gotten my own apartment, been to Sweden with my class, lost my grandmother, had Swedish people living here and gotten a job and now the exams are starting next week. I'm so doomed.

The middle of Grimmauld Place, London, year: 1996, two days before Christmas, 09:37 Pm

The sun had set long ago when a small, black haired, boy could be seen making his way into the shabby square, his every step leaving a track in the dirty snow. He was wearing a dark blue winter coat, that looked way too big on him, and around his neck, a black scarf had been winded around so many times that it totally hide the lower half of his face.

He attentively studied a crumpled piece of paper in the uneven lights from the street lamps, sometimes looking up to look at the metal numbers nailed to the wall or front door of each house.

Suddenly he jerked his head up to double check the number he had just looked at, a triumphant smile spreading across his face under the scarf.

The number said eleven. He checked the next house just to be sure that is said thirteen as it was supposed to. It did.

His eyes drifted to the point in between the two houses trying to remember what his master had said, he didn't even finish that thought though before his perception of the street began to transform and new house began to appear bit by bit right in front of him; first a worn door and then some filthy walls and windows, all of which appear to shove the two neighboring houses aside. In a short time an entire house was there, appearing as though it had just been inflated, leaving him to stare at it in horror.

Reggie wanted him to go in there? Of course he wanted him to go in there. He had to get the soulpiece before someone else found it.

Shaking his head to clear the fear away, he slowly started to climb the few stairs leading to the door.

Cautiously he tried the door handle which, much to his regret, easily sank, making the door slowly swing open with a terrifying creak, revealing a ragged entrance hall smelling of decay and, to his surprise, lit by gas lamps on the walls. The wallpaper was peeling; the grimy portraits on the walls crooked on their perches, one of them was even hidden by a curtain. The carpet was worn, and cobwebs were strewn over everything and in a dark corner an umbrella stand made of a troll's leg had been placed.

For a few seconds he just stood there, contemplating whether or not to go in. Reggie had ensured him that he wouldn't meet anything in there beside maybe a single houseelf or in worst case a few bogarts, but there were lights in the hall for god's sake. Maybe someone lived here? Then again, it could be the houseelf, it certainly shouldn't be the bogart he sniggered. Against his better judgment he took a step into the hall, closing the door behind him as not to let the warms out.

The heat in the hall was a welcome change from the cold wind outside, causing him to carefully loosen his scarf and open his coat, revealing a heavy silver collar.

"_Kre…Kreacher?_" The call wasn't much more than a whisper, sounding pathetic even to his own ears. "Kreacher?" He repeated himself, a little louder to the empty room, wishing with all his might that it would be the elf answering.

A noise from down the hall made him jerk his head in that direction. Weren't houseelf suppose to come when called? Of course he had never really meet a houseelf so he could be wrong, or maybe they just didn't answer to little slave boys? He slowly started to take silent steps in the direction of the sound. If his memory served him right the kitchen should be stationed down there.

Reaching the door he cautiously laid his hand on the handle opening it till he had a creak to look through…

…and found himself staring cross eyed at the tip of a wooden stick, no, not a stick, his eyes traveled further down it to the hand holding the finely made handle on it, a wand, just like masters except this one had a lighter color and maybe it was a bit shorter too. He let his eyes finish the last bid of the journey, taking in the worn looking wizarding robes and ending at a man's face, immediately noticing the missing bit of his nose and the strange, perfectly round, blue eye looking intensely at him.

A vile smile spread across the man's face

"Nighty night Death Eater"

_Death Eater?_

Then hard, red light shot out the wand and engulfed his world…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Acacia House Hotel, year 1996, the day before Christmas, 00:04 Am

He wasn't coming… He should have been here by now… Why wasn't he coming?

Worriedly, Regulus got up from the only bed in the dingy hotel room to check the window for the millionth time that night.

It had been hours since he had gotten back from his own mission at the museum and Cato should definitely have been back by now… It shouldn't take him that long to find the dame trinket.

He let himself drop back onto the creaky bed.

Something had to be wrong… maybe it had opened and tried to kill him... Maybe he was laying in his own pool of blood right now and fighting with the dark lord for him not to feed on his magic…

Abruptly he was back up and flew for the exit, grapping the backpacks in the corner on the way.

He was going to go check on him

Just to be sure

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Grimmauld Place 12, London, year: 1996, The day before Christmas, 00:37 Am

Regulus flew through the door with a loud bang as soon as he could see it and stopped dead in his track just as he put the first foot on the stair…

Why did it sound like there was a kindergarten in the kitchen?

Then suddenly the noise stopped.

"_Cato_?" he attentively whispered, felling silly even while doing so.

No answer

"Ahem, Cato?" he tried a little louder, immediately feeling more manly for daring to talk so loud, but still not getting an answer.

Just for the caution he drew his wand before starting to silently make his way down the familiar hall of his childhood home.

Reaching the door he cautiously laid his hand on the handle opening it till he had a creak to look through…

…and found himself staring cross eyed at the tip of another wand.

Slowly he raised his eyes to see the owner, at once recognizing the false magical eye…

…before being hit with a stunner, his world going black.


	3. To Make a Friend

Whispering… that was all there was when Cato woke up… first darkness, then whispering where he couldn't quite make out the words.

For a few seconds he just lay there trying to clear his mind…

"…_couldn't be a spy_?" "…_little boy_…" "…_found the house_…"

He was sitting on a chair and he could feel something holding his hands tight behind his back…someone had removed his coat and scarf…. And he felt dizzy… like he needed to puke…now!

His eyes flew open "I'm gonna puke!" Immediately all attention were on him as someone quickly conjured a bowl and held it up as he emptied his stomach. "Sorry" he said while trying to blink away the tears which had formed in his eyes.

"Nothing to be sorry about" a female said as bowl and content was vanished again.

He looked around timidly. There were four people in the room, a woman and three men. One of which was the man with the scary looking eye.

"What are you doing here?" Cato asked before he could stop himself "This is private property. You can't just squat here, my master won't like that"

"And just exactly who is you master?" the man with the scary eye growled.

"Master Black naturally" they all turned to look at one of the black haired men who quickly put up both hands in surrender.

"Don't look at me, I never bought a slave" that made them all turn back to Cato but now with mistrusting looks.

"Master Regulus Black" He felt like clarifying as there was obviously more than one, where ever this one came from.

"You're lying!" The black haired man yelled "My brother died years ago"

Cato looked at him in shock. "Master doesn't have a younger brother, you must be mistaken"

"What?... I'm Sirius Black! I'm the oldest son of this house!" His voice was now full of self-righteousness. "and what are you doing here anyway? This is my house!"

"Your house! This is my master's house! He inherited it from his mother, and he does not have a brother!" He told him firmly.

"Did not!" Sirius yelled.

"Did to!" Cato yelled back.

"Did not!"

"This is ridicules." Cato mumbled now feeling annoyed "So you are obviously living here? You will have to clear that up with master, but if you speak with him I'm sure he won't mind…"

"He damn well won't! You're delusional! He's dead!"

"Sirius calm down" The woman said in a firm tone.

"He certainly is not!" Cato's indignant voice cut her off.

"Is to!"

"Is not! I spoke with him just this morning!"

"Did not"

"Did to!"

"STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU!" The woman finally cut in. "Sirius your acting like a toddler" She informed him with a glare before she turned on a big smile as she looked at Cato. "What is your name young man?"

"Cato" He narrowed his eyes at her not trusting her smile one bit.

"I'm Lily Potter and this is my husband James, the man over there is Moody. Now why exactly are you here? If this house really does belong to your master he haven't been here for years, so why now?"

For a second he considered telling them a lie but then again, Reggie always said the truth was your best ally, even if it was a half truth.

"Master send me to retrieve a piece of jewelry" he finally said.

Lily looked at him thoughtfully for a moment

"What kind of jewelry?"

"A locket" he said smiling. "It's silver with a snake on it. He left it here years ago." All of them were now looking at him with a deep frown.

"Could you show us where it should be?" The woman asked

He thought about it for a second.

"Not if you're gonna steal it no"

"We promise that we won't" she answered seriously.

"Okay" What harm could it do anyway. They had no idea what it was.

The man now named James freed him from the chair and quickly he led them to up the stairs to Reggie's old room. It had been cleared out and refurnished, so where the bed was before there now stood a large oak dresser in its stead. For a second Cato felt a pang of disappointment as he had been looking forward to seeing where Reggie grew up.

"Could you move that please?" He asked the men following closely behind him.

As James and Sirius moved the dresser away Cato dropped to the floor so he could remove the loose floorboard, that used to be under the bed, and retrieve the small old tin box with the locket.

"Here it is" He smiled as he turned around to show them the content of the box.

For a few moments they just stared at it. Then suddenly Sirius reached forward to touch it making Cato close the lid with a snap.

"Master said not to touch it. It's cursed and will posses you, making you do crazy stuff like killing non-magics and…. Something equally horrible" He stated with a scowl.

"We have to ask Albus about this" The woman said to men who quickly agreed making James leave the room, likely to go find this Albus.

"Well, it was nice talking to you but I have to go now" Cato said with a smile holding out his hand for the woman to shake. For a moment they just stood there Lily staring at his hand "uhm…" he let it fall to his side. "So where did you put my coat?"

"I'm sorry but you're not leaving yet Cato" She finally said. "You'll have to speak with Albus first" He didn't say anything but purposefully made his eyes large with betrayal, and for a second he thought he saw a spark of regret in hers when she reached and took the tin box, but then she said. "You can stay in here and rest. We'll lock the door and come back for you when we're ready" Sirius and Moody had already left the room leaving Lily to close the door with a final encouraging smile for him followed by the muffled sound of a colloportus being cast.

* * *

It felt like hours as he was sitting there in the corner of the room in front of the bed, clutching Pafoo through the magical pocket in his over sized flannel shirt and waiting…

No, days!

And he had to pee….

And he was hungry

Why weren't they coming back?

Had they left him?

…THEY HAD TOTALLY LEFT HIM HERE TO DIE!

Maybe he should just open the door and go to the bathroom himself… no, Reggie always said not to show others his wandless abilities….

But he would die from hunger, and then they would find him in a puddle of his own urine... and in Reggie's old room… He _really_ had to peeeeeee… what a way to go out… dead by exploded bladder…. He was so not going to Valhalla that way…

…

…Oh no! What about Christmas? He had spent so much time on that bracelet. Did this mean Reggie wouldn't even get it now? Maybe Reggie would find it in his backpack and wear it in memory of him anyway…. That would be nice…

…But he still _really really _had to pee… like now… or ten seconds ago… Couldn't they just bloody hurry up?

He let go of Pafoo, stood up and walked around for a bit. Then he went to lay his ear against the door…. Nothing… he was about to leave it be when he suddenly heard the door in the hallway go and lots of people hurrying in as they chatted among each other… children too, definitely children, too many to pickup what they were saying and they all went into the kitchen…. For a moment the hallway went back to being quiet…

Cato was now sitting down in front of the door with his ear leaning on it…

Then the door opened again but not a sound reached his own door for a full 20 seconds… then he heard his name loud and clear… it was Reggie! He had come for him! He started banging loudly on his door… kicking… screaming for his Reggie…

Then finally it was flung open but standing on the other side wasn't Reggie but Moody.

"WHAT?" Moody yelled making tears spring to Cato's eyes from disappointment

"I… I _really_ need to use the loo…please?" He pleaded. His voice all teary.

Moody growled low in his throat but stepped aside

"Follow me boy"

As he was doing his business he couldn't help but feel a little spark of hope in his chest as a small smile made it to his lips.

Reggie was near.

And hopefully they could share his old room tonight.

* * *

Darkness had fallen over the room long ago when he finally heard someone on the stairs.

Two people. He crawled to the door to lay his ear against it again.

"…could a man just come in? I thought the house was under the fidellius charm?" a boys voice said with the distinct sound of a teenage voice.

"Padfoot said it was Regulus, you know his younger brother, who apparently faked his dead" another teenage boy said.

The boys walked past his door and started to distend the next staircase.

"It seems he send his slave to retrieve a locket which can resurrect old snake face…" the voices faded away as they reached the next floor.

At least these people were on their side. He thought with a smile to the old snake face comment.

He winced as his stomach made a particularly loud growl and took out Pafoo to hug properly as he scooted back to his corner.

"Are we ever getting food again little friend?" He smiled sadly at the old black toy dog as he lay down on the floor beside the bed to rest a bit.

* * *

_He was sitting in the small pitch black room in the basement again hugging Pafoo as hard as he could. As usual he was naked, but he couldn't remember why other then it had hurt. He couldn't remember when he'd last been fed, and he'd had to soil himself twice now. _

_The loud sound of his masters boots filled his world as he moved closer to his cell, both frightening him of what were to come and filling him with the hope of him leaving this place. _

_The key took forever to work and then the door was finally open and the light was hurting his eyes as his master gripped his hair and dragged him into it. He couldn't see a thing but he soon felt the knife on his scalp…_

"…kid! wake up! Hey kid!" Cato's eyes flew open to the sound of someone yelling at him and shaking his shoulders.

"Are you okay? You were screaming?" the male voice said as he slowly got his bearings together. "Hey, nothing to be ashamed of, we all have nightmares sometimes." The owner of the voice was holding him… he was sitting in someone's lap… and strangely enough he didn't want to leave he thought as he snuggled further in to the warm chest with a tight grasp on Pafoo.

He had never wanted physical contact with anyone but Reggie… was this betrayal of Reggie? His eyes widened dramatically as he looked up and into the face of Reggie's brother Sirius. He relaxed a bit again… Maybe they had the same smell because they were brothers and that was why.

"How come Reggie never told me about you?" Sirius stopped rocking back and forth for a second making Cato notice the motion for the first time.

"Maybe he ignored my existence because we were never really close?" he finally answered as he started up the motion again.

"No, Reggie's not like that… maybe he was to sad to talk about you because he had wanted a better relationship?" Sirius looked down in to his eyes with an undetermined feeling.

"Maybe" He just said.

They were both silent for another few moments before the moment was broken with a loud growl from Cato's stomach making Sirius laugh.

"Come on. Let's go find you some food" he said with a smile as he untangled himself before helping Cato up.

The food was simple leftovers from the roast the others had had for dinner but it tasted delicious even though Sirius kept staring at Pafoo with a thoughtful look.

"What is your friend called?" He finally asked making Cato smile.

"That was what Reggie first asked me too. He's name is Pafoo" Sirius's eyes widened slightly.

"Cato? How did you end up with my brother?" He asked slowly.

Cato swallowed politely around his bite before answering in a light tone.

"He bought me" Making Sirius's eyes widen even more.

"Like a slave? That's illegal!"

"Not in Germany" Cato answered calmly with a wink.

"But… why?" Sirius looked honestly shocked.

"Because he wanted a companion on his journeys and what better companion than a slave, why me I don't know though… maybe he just felt sorry for me"

"Why?" Sirius asked again.

"Well… uhmm…" He thought about his answer for a second. "I was going a little crazy back then. I was 7 years old, and had been a pleasure slave for two years" Sirius turned a little green at that. "When my master had finally had enough of my stubbornness, shaved my head in anger, and sent me back to the auctions. I spent nearly a month there and they were about to give up and just finish me off when Reggie showed up and just bought me." He finished.

"But how did you end up a slave in the first place?" Now Sirius's eyes showed with something akin to desperation.

"We got stolen from an orphanage of course" Cato said with an unsure voice "like most slaves these days do" Sirius didn't say anything, he just stared. "actually I think it was here in London, I was chosen by the first master because I spoke English…. What are you doing?" Sirius was now leaning over the table brushing away his fringe looking at the scare that lay beneath. He quickly drew away like burned. Then he slowly got up, walked around the table and engulfed Cato in a tight hug.

"_Harry_" he whispered dazed


	4. To be or not to be a Potter

Before:

_What are you doing?" Sirius was now leaning over the table brushing away his fringe looking at the scare that lay beneath. He quickly drew away like burned. Then he slowly got up, walked around the table and engulfed Cato in a tight hug._

_"__Harry__" he whispered dazed_

Now:

For a long time they just sat there. Sirius hugging him like he was going to slip away between his fingers and Cato not moving a muscle as his brain seemed to have set out after "_Harry_".

Then the door opened and a middle aged, brown haired man, only clad in boxers and rubbing sleep out of his eyes, entered the kitchen.

"Hun, are you coming back to bed or what?" He asked in a sleepy voice. Then he seemed to notice Sirius hugging Cato who stared blankly at him. "Uh… Sirius? What are you doing?"

Sirius turned his face enough to look at the newcomer.

"It's him Remus. It's Harry!" he said in a teary voice, not letting go of Cato.

That seemed to jump start Cato's brain, as he suddenly pushed Sirius away and put some distance between himself and the now dazzled man on the kitchen bench.

"I want to see Reggie!" no one reacted. "I know he's here… I heard him… I want to see Reggie now!"

* * *

Regulus had been locked in one of the guest rooms since he woke up, and had even been questioned there. Now though he was sitting on the bed and couldn't sleep in fear of what had happened to his young ward. He knew he was here somewhere, as they had told him that Cato had spoken to them about the locket, but he didn't know where or how he was, and he was guessing he wasn't getting much sleep either as he always had nightmares whenever he slept alone.

Suddenly his door opened and a distraught Cato bolted in and threw himself in his arms.

"Cato? What's wrong kiddo?" The boy just shook his head and tightened his grip on his shirt. "Are you crying?" Regulus asked in disbelief and wiped his head up to glare at his older brother, who stood in the door next to a skeptic looking Lupin from school "What the hell did you do?"

Sirius looked shocked then took a step into the room "What makes you think I did anything?" He asked in a hurt voice.

"Because it's always you! Now spill!"

"How could you drag Harry around and not tell me about it?" Sirius then accused, confusing Regulus. "You know I am his father's best friend! You should have come straight to me!" Regulus held up a hand stopping him.

"Just a second... Who's Harry?" He asked.

"Harry!" Sirius announced pointing accusingly at Cato.

"You know Cato?" Regulus asked, his eyes growing large.

"As if you didn't know" Sirius sneered crossing his arms, Remus still stood in the door, now looking sheepish.

"You're mental. I don't even know who this Harry is. If you know his father, why don't you try asking him? Cato has certainly never been the son of anyone you'd know" Regulus said, his grip on Cato tightening, and then he added angrily as an afterthought. "And if he was, I'd like to meet the jerk and get a good blow in for abandoning him" He was now standing up, both hands supporting Cato's bum as the teens legs hooked them self around his toned torso.

"He did not!" Sirius shouted "He placed him somewhere more secure because they couldn't give him a proper home when the whole family was in danger!"

"Well, look how great that turned out!" Regulus Shouted back. "It was properly your idea right you bloody jerk?"

"Now listen here…" Remus tried, first now stepping into the room, only to be interrupted by Sirius.

"Was not! I didn't even know it had happened till he had been kidnapped, as I was preoccupied with a trial for a mass murder I didn't do! But a thousand times sorry for not anticipating my best friend leaving one of his twin sons at a muggle orphanage while I didn't look." He finished of sarcastically.

"TWINS?"

"His brothers' name's Andrew" Sirius said sullenly.

For a while silence reined the room. Remus was now standing slightly behind Sirius, looking like he wished he hadn't stepped into the room in the first place.

"Did they ever find out who actually committed the mass murder?" Regulus then finally decided to ask

"Yes!" Sirius said tightly "It was Pettigrew, you know? The chubby kid who always followed us around? They caught him soon after."

"Hmm.." He looked thoughtfully at his older brother "And what made you decide that my Cato was this Harry?"

"Everything just fits. He's the same age, he got kidnapped at the same time, he look like James…"

"JAMES POTTER!" Regulus cut him off "You believe that my sweet little Cato is the son of that arrogant bastard?" The words made the boy in question draw his head out of the nook of Regulus's neck to look at him.

"Yes!" Sirius said with conviction "He even have the lightning shaped scare on his forehead little Harry got on the night the Potters were attacked by you-know-who!" he said pointing at Cato's head daring Regulus to contradict him, and causing Cato to turn around and stare at him. "And Lily's eyes! He have Lily's eyes!" Sirius exclaimed in glee at seeing them.

For a long time Regulus just looked thoughtful "… if you're this sure then you should have a fatherhood test preformed. Then we can talk about it"

A look of determination set on the face of Sirius. "We will do that tomorrow" He said with a serious nod. Then he grabbed Remus by the hand, and practically dragged him from the room.

* * *

The Kitchen of Grimmauld Place 12, London, year: 1996, the day before Christmas, 08:09 Am

"I just need a bit of blood" The dour man sneered at Cato when he drew his arm away from his touch.

Slowly he looked around at the other occupants of the large Kitchen. Reggie and Sirius were standing next to him, each with a comforting hand on his shoulder, and next to Sirius was the man called James nursing the arm from which the blood had just been drawn non to gently from. The woman Lily, supposedly his mother, was standing next James and Sirius' lover was sitting at the table with a bunch of red heads and a boy with short black hair. All of them were staring at him with different kinds of hope in their eyes.

The dour man gripped his arm and drew the needle into it. "There!" he said, his voice clearly showing of his annoyance at being called here on Christmas eve' morning. The man dropped the blood he had retrieved from both of them into the clear fatherhood potion on the kitchen table.

For a whole minute everyone just held their breath.

Then it turned blue and most of the room drew a relived breath before they turned to look at him expectantly. In turn he looked at Reggie for guidance, but he just had a thoughtful frown on.

Cato looked back at the expectant faces… Then turned around fully to hide his face in Reggie's broad chest effectively making Sirius loose his grip on his shoulder as Reggie hugged him tightly.

"I'm not leaving him!" He heard Reggie exclaim above him and he let out a relived breath he didn't know he was holding.

"We're not asking you to" James answered.

"We just want to be a part of his live" Lily said in a tearful voice.

Reggie looked skeptic then very gently prompted Cato to let go of his torso so he could look into his red rimmed eyes. "What do you think kitten?"

Cato just shook his head as tears threatened to fall. "They left me!"

"Harry we didn't mean to!" Lily immediately cut in "we thought we were giving you a chance at a life without fear! There hasn't gone a day without us thinking of you" Large tears were now running down her cheeks. "If only we had known… We would never have let go of you!"

"BUT YOU DID!" He screamed as more tears threatened to fall. Then he turned to Reggie begging with his eyes for an answer.

Reggie held the eye contact for a long time, seemingly trying to read in his eyes the answer Cato did not know. "I'm sorry kiddo, but you will have to make this choice yourself"


End file.
